McFadden admits defeat is hard to swallow
Ireland's Rory Best scores a try against Wales
Fergus McFadden admitted defeat against Wales in the Six Nations opener was hard to swallow for Ireland.
Leigh Halfpenny’s penalty 30 seconds from time condemned Ireland to defeat and ended their grand slam challenge before it started.
“We just tried to keep the scoreboard ticking over but we were probably lucky to be ahead after the pressure they had put us under,” said McFadden.
“We probably didn’t put enough phases together in the first half and I thought in the second half when we got into their half I thought we looked dangerous and we did score a try but we probably squandered one or two as well.
“In fairness to Wales they took their chances and the penalty went their way at the end.
“Going into today we knew it was unusual to have a chance to play a team in a test match that knocks you out of the World Cup straight away so it was a bit of a grudge match and unfortunately Wales came out on the right side.
“We have a five-day turnaround before Paris and the next couple of days are going to be tough for us looking back on the chances we didn’t take. We’ll train hard and look forward to France.”
McFadden put the defeat down to individual errors rather than any deficiency in the Ireland game plan against top sides.
“If you look at the footage from the World Cup game we had enough chances in their red zone to put them and we just didn’t take them and in this game as well we had a couple and we just didn’t take them. Wales were just a bit more clinical and that has nothing to do with game plan.
“We weren’t as clinical as we wanted to be and at international level it’s the tiniest of margins. In the last three minutes we let them build phases and get into penalty range and they got it.”
Meanwhile, Leigh Halfpenny was delighted to score the decisive penalty as Wales claimed their dramatic victory over Ireland at the Aviva Stadium to secure a vital away win in this year’s Six Nations Championship.
Halfpenny’s successful kick in the closing seconds gave Wales a 23-21 win in Dublin and banished memories of his narrow miss in the World Cup semi-final against France last year.
“It was the hardest kick I’ve had to take in all my life,” Halfpenny said.
“As soon as it went over the emotion came – having to deal with the miss against France in the World Cup, putting that over makes it all worthwhile.”
Meanwhile lock, Bradley Davies could be out of the rest of the Six Nations Championship after being cited for a spear tackle during yesterday’s 23-21 last gasp win over Ireland in Dublin’s Aviva Stadium.
Davies was sin-binned for the dangerous tackle on Irish replacement lock, Donnacha Ryan off the ball in the 65th minute of the game.
Welsh coach, Warren Gatland, had no hesitancy in stating that he thought it was a red card offence and he was aware of the citing and would be planning ahead with the liklihood of missing Davies.
That incident and a last minute sin-binning for Ulster backrow, Stephen Ferris for a dangerous tackle, threatened to overshadow a thrilling match which Wales battle back having gone behind twice to take their first win in Dublin since 2008.
However, while Davies’ tackle will lead to a disciplinary hearing this week, Ferris’ tackle proved more costly as it handed Wales fullback, Leigh Halfpenny, with the penalty which won the game in the closing seconds.
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Weather for Belfast
Tuesday 29 May 2012
Today
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